Andrew Cuomo is building his campaign team with comeback bids to the mayor, including bringing in the political veteran who had previously been with him.
One of the trusted fellow drafted members is longtime top Democratic strategist Neil Kwatra, who is taking part in the campaign as a senior advisor.
Kwatra is a former political director of the Hotel Trade Council Union and worked for Cuomo's 2010 and 2014 governor's run.
The operative at the time served as Chief of Staff for then-state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Sources close to the campaign said Ramon Contreras, who previously worked as an aide to Prime Minister Amelia Adams in the office of Governor Kathy Hochul, would be involved in constitutional outreach.
Joshua Joseph, executive director of the Legislative Caucus in Black, New York, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian, was tapped to do political outreach.
Mercury Public Affairs, a company whose longtime Cuomo Confidante Charlie King is partnered, will become a key consultant for the campaign.
Mercury's partner Jake Gilemani will play a particularly important role, sources said.
Jason Elan, who previously worked for Cuomo and Hochul's lieutenant governor, and Long Island Rep. Tom Suzzi's Governor Campaign for Governor and former Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone, will join the Communications Shop alongside Esther Jensen, who worked for Cuomo's 2018 Governor Campaign.
They will work with Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopaldi.
Prisca Salazar Rodriguez, who worked on the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign for the Senate and Ray McGuire's 2021 campaign for the mayor, will be senior adviser.
“The governor has put together an experienced professional team of professionals who reflect the experience, leadership and capabilities that are openly lacking from the arena for several years, in a short period of time,” a source for the Cuomo campaign said.
Cuomo officially kicked off his mayor's bid on Saturday, running to Mayor Eric Adams in the Democratic primary.
He was told he held a campaign event on Sunday and fueled his controversial policies despite the blows from the family of nurses who lost their loved ones during the crisis.
Other candidates running in the Democratic primary include Sen. Jessica Ramos and Zellner Miley, city director Brad Lander, state legislative member Zoran Mamdani, former Assemblyman Michael Blake, former city director Scott Stringer and financial operator Whitney Tilson.
Guardian Angels founder Curtis Swa has been declared the Republican candidate for mayor.
Cuomo was forced to resign from his governor's seat in 2021 after crashing into a barrage of sexual misconduct allegations.
